Intelligent circuit breaker for load dimming

ABSTRACT

An intelligent circuit breaker is electrically capable of dimming a load using sine wave dimming and forward or reverse cut-phase dimming. The intelligent circuit breaker may include low on resistance transistors switching at a 100 kHZ or higher using pulse width modulation to achieve the sine wave dimming while filtering out the high frequency switching and allowing a line frequency pass through. The intelligent circuit breaker may include a wireless module for receiving one or commands to perform power dimming of the load. The intelligent circuit breaker may advantageously be constructed in a form factor which is compatible with standard circuit breaker panels.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/706,145, entitled SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR CREATING DYNAMICNANO GRIDS AND FOR AGGREGATING ELECTRIC POWER CONSUMERS TO PARTICIPATEIN ENERGY MARKETS, filed on Sep. 15, 2017 by Robert P. Madonna et al.,which application claims priority from commonly owned Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/395,230, entitled SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR CREATINGDYNAMIC NANO GRIDS AND FOR AGGREGATING ELECTRIC POWER CONSUMERS TOPARTICIPATE IN ENERGY MARKETS, filed on Sep. 15, 2016 and from commonlyowned Provisional Patent Application No. 62/406,481, entitled SYSTEM ANDMETHODS FOR CREATING DYNAMIC NANO GRIDS AND FOR AGGREGATING ELECTRICPOWER CONSUMERS TO PARTICIPATE IN ENERGY MARKETS, filed on Oct. 11, 2016which applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of electric powermanagement and, more specifically, to a system and methods for managingan aggregation of electric power consumers to participate in energymarkets.

Background Information

In the United States, electric power utility companies are highlyregulated by both federal and state governments. In general, the retailrates charged by such companies for the power they supply are not set byan open market. Instead, the retail rates are set by a commission orother regulatory tribunal through a formal, administrative process whichtakes into account present and predicted future demand, costs incurredto build or gain access to new sources of supply, and a variety of otherfactors. Wholesale rates are often based on the independent systemoperator (ISO) market, but not in all areas.

Within the regulated market for electric power, there are powergenerating facilities known as “base load power plants,” “load followingpower plants” and “peaking power plants.” Base load power plants aretypically large, lower cost facilities which operate continuously tomeet the base demand for power in a given service area. Load followingpower plants, as the name implies, are generally intended to operatewhen demand (loads) are high, but limit or curtail operation when demandis low. Peaking power plants, which often is used to refer to 10 minuteand 30 minute reserves which are part of the ancillary services market,are generally intended to operate only intermittently to meet peakdemand in the service area, or to meet demand in the event of acontingency such as a power plant failure. Thus, the need for a peakingpower plant to actually operate may arise on only a few days each yearand may last for only a few hours.

To participate in energy markets, a facility is by regulation requiredto generate a minimum output power level (e.g., 100 kW), be capable ofbringing that power online within a predetermined time period followinga request from a grid operator, and remain online for a predeterminedminimum time period. In accordance with prevailing regulations, peakingpower plants are paid a premium rate for the power they supply. This isjustifiable given the extremely intermittent operation of such plants,the state of readiness that they must maintain, and the importance ofensuring that peak demand is satisfied without interruption.

Recently, a court considered the question of whether, under prevailingregulations, a market participant could consist of a facility whichreduces electrical loads in a given service area, thereby reducing powerconsumption as opposed to generating additional power. The courtanswered the question in the affirmative, thus creating an opportunityto develop new facilities which are eligible to participate in all ofthe established energy markets including, but not limited to, ancillaryservices (10 and 30 minute reserves, frequency control, and regulation),real-time market, day-ahead market, and forward capacity market, butwhich operate on a model of reduced consumption and not increasedproduction.

Another problem of interest manifests in solar (photovoltaic or pv)panel-equipped homes, businesses or other premises. The vast majority ofsuch installations are grid-tie systems, which means that excess powergenerated by the solar pv panels is sent back to the power grid, and anyadditional power needed by the premises is supplied by the grid. Becauseof anti-islanding laws, all grid-tie systems no longer operate when thepower grid goes down, even though the solar pv panels could begenerating power that could be used on the premises. In recent years,islanding inverters have made it possible to continue using solar pvpanels while still complying with anti-islanding laws. These secondaryinverters work in conjunction with batteries and a critical load panelto supply homes, businesses or premises with limited power to criticalloads. However, the critical loads are “fixed” because they must beselected in advance and wired into the critical load panel which isseparate from the main circuit breaker panel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a group of homes,businesses, or other electric power consuming premises are aggregatedand commonly controlled to dynamically reduce loads in sufficientquantities, and with sufficient rapidity and duration, to participate asa market participant in the energy markets including participating as apeaking power plant. While the amount of reduced power consumption for asingle premises is typically quite small, the total reduced consumptionof an aggregation of just a few thousand homes or businesses may be onthe order of hundreds of kilowatts. By electing to participate in theaggregation, each home, business or other premises contributes to asubstantial, ongoing conservation effort, and may share in the revenuewhich is received from the provider. Similarly, when power costs arelow, loads inactive during peak periods may be activated saving costover operating those loads during the peak period.

Each home, business or other premises which participates in theaggregation is provided with a premises power controller and intelligentcircuit breakers which augment conventional circuit breakers or fuses.The premises power controller and intelligent circuit breakers may beinstalled during construction or as a retrofit. The premises powercontroller may include a processor, memory, a display which may functionto provide a user interface, interfaces for the intelligent circuitbreakers, major appliances, heating, ventilating and air conditioning(HVAC) systems, water heaters, as well as interfaces for solar,geothermal, micro-hydro, or wind generation and inverters, storagebatteries, generators, other renewable power sources, home automationsystems, schedulers or user control devices. The premises powercontroller may also include interfaces for environmental sensors (e.g.,temperature, barometric pressure, voltage, current, motion detectors)and other sensors of interest. The premises power controller may alsoinclude wide area network (WAN) connectivity or other suitable networkconnectivity for communicating with an aggregation server or othersystems that may be remotely located.

Each intelligent circuit breaker is electrically capable of beingactuated and interfaces with a conventional circuit breaker which ismanually capable of being actuated. Each intelligent circuit breakerincludes a power meter, a wireless transceiver for communicating withother intelligent circuit breakers and the premises power controller, abreaker controller, memory, and a display. For lighting circuits, theintelligent circuit breaker also includes a dimmer. The memory may beused to temporarily store data of interest regarding the intelligentcircuit breaker's status, power consumption, operating history, and thelike. The intelligent circuit breakers may advantageously be constructedin a form factor which is compatible with (i.e., adapted to fit) circuitbreaker panels offered by major manufacturers of electrical equipment(e.g., Square D by Schneider Electric, General Electric Company, SiemensAG, Murray by Siemens AG, Thomas & Betts of ASEA Brown Boveri, andCrouse-Hinds by Eaton).

Because the intelligent circuit breakers are normally installed inside ametal breaker panel, there is typically considerable interference withwireless communication to and from the breakers. To overcome suchinterference, a wireless mesh network may be established among thewireless transceivers that are associated with the intelligent circuitbreakers. The wireless mesh network enables messages received by adesignated gatekeeper wireless transceiver to propagate across all ofthe other wireless transceivers while reducing congestion incommunication with the premises power controller. The gatekeeperwireless transceiver is responsible for transmitting messagesoriginating from any of the other wireless transceivers to the premisespower controller, as well as relaying messages received from thepremises power controller to one or more of the other wirelesstransceivers. To further reduce interference, the gatekeeper wirelesstransceiver may be located in proximity to an aperture in the breakerpanel. The aperture alone, or possibly in combination with wire runswhich pass through the aperture, may enable satisfactory wirelesscommunication between the gatekeeper wireless transceiver and premisespower controller. Alternatively, the aperture may accommodate a smallantenna which is coupled to the gatekeeper wireless transceiver.

Through its own wireless transceiver, wireless mesh network, andgatekeeper wireless transceiver, each intelligent circuit breaker maysend messages to the premises power controller. Such messages may reportthe amount of power being consumed instantaneously, the average powerconsumed over a given time period, a change in the amount of powerconsumed, status information, or other data of interest. Such data maybe temporarily stored by the premises power controller before it ispassed along to the aggregation server or other system.

Each intelligent circuit breaker may also receive messages from thepremises power controller. One type of message causes the circuitbreaker to actuate, thereby opening the circuit and disconnecting theassociated load, or closing the circuit and connecting the load to aline (power grid) source, a renewable power source, backup generator, oran energy storage device, such as a differential pressure cell, anelectro-chemical battery, and a chemical energy storage system(hereinafter after battery) on the premises. Thus, one advantageprovided by the present invention is that critical loads within thepremises need not be wired to a separate, dedicated circuit breakerpanel in order to maintain power to those loads when the power grid isdown.

A premises may also include an AC-DC converter whose output is coupledto a DC-AC inverter with power factor control, which in turn is coupledto dimmable loads. The output (DC) of the converter is coupled to theinverter, at which a power factor may be altered in conjunction with aninversion to AC. The altered power factor causes a reduction of theamount of real power absorbed by the dimmable loads, thereby providingfurther improvement to overall efficiency as well as contributing to areduction in consumption as part of an aggregation's performance as amarket participant.

Another advantage provided by the present invention is that when thepower grid is up and a renewable source is generating “surplus” power onthe premises, the intelligent circuit breakers may be dynamicallymanaged to connect additional loads (e.g., charge available batteriesand electric vehicles first, followed by a swimming pool heater,auxiliary water heater, and the like) to consume the available “surplus”power as opposed to selling such power to the utility company, ifpossible and advantageous given the prevailing circumstances.

Yet another advantage provided by the present invention is that eachindividual load may be dynamically managed by the premises powercontroller to both improve overall efficiency of the premises, andenable the premises to function as part of an aggregation thatparticipates in the energy markets.

Yet another advantage provided by the present invention is thatuser-oriented functions such as lighting control, including dimming, maybe performed without the need for separate, conventional lightingcontrol equipment.

Yet another advantage provided by the present invention is that apremises, when dynamically managed by a premises power controller inconjunction with intelligent circuit breakers, maintains a higher levelof functionality and acts as its own nano-grid when the power grid isdown. Conversely, when the power grid is up, the present invention maycapitalize on time-of-use pricing by managing loads based on need andpricing structure.

In general, each premises power controller is programmed to dynamicallymanage power consumption within the premises in accordance with aplurality of predetermined scenarios. Such power management scenariosmay include, for example, a “normal” scenario when the power grid is up,an “emergency” scenario when the power grid is down, a “renewablefavorable” scenario when environmental conditions are favorable for arenewable power source that is associated with the premises, a“renewable unfavorable” scenario when environmental conditions areunfavorable for a renewable power source, and a “market trading”scenario when the premises must function within an aggregation that isparticipating in the independent system operator market includingproviding ancillary services (e.g., performing as a peaking powerplant), and the like.

When a regional grid controller or other authority signals theaggregation server that a market participant is needed to meet demand,the aggregation server uses the WAN to direct the premises powercontrollers within the aggregation to initiate their “market trading” orsimilar power management scenarios. In response, each premises powercontroller, subject to an overriding command issued by the premisesowner or other authority, proceeds to dynamically disconnect individualloads by sending appropriate messages wirelessly to the intelligentcircuit breakers. The disconnected loads may remain disconnected for theentire time that the aggregation is functioning as a market participantor, alternatively, may be reconnected by an authorized override. Oncethe aggregation server receives a signal that the aggregation no longerneeds to function as a market participant, the server issues a messageto the premises power controllers directing them to resume their“normal” power management scenarios or another appropriate scenario.

The premises power controller may also issue notifications to usersregarding power management-related events. For example, if the premisesis equipped with solar panels and the premises power controller receivesa weather forecast for sunshine, a notification may be sent to a user'semail address, mobile phone, or other device to remind the user to plugin an electric vehicle to charge, turn on an auxiliary water heater, ortake other action to fully use the power which is expected to begenerated by the solar panels. Additionally, during periods ofabnormally high energy costs, or very low expected production,notifications may be issued to users reminding them to take measures tolimit use, such as ensuring that windows and doors are closed, lightingdemands are reduced, or other loads are minimized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention description below refers to the accompanying drawings, ofwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a power grid in which a group of powerconsuming premises are aggregated and commonly managed to participate inenergy markets in accordance with one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electric power control system forthe Class 1 premises shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an electric power control system forthe Class 2 premises shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an electric power control system forthe Class 3 premises shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the premises power controller shown inFIGS. 2, 3, 4A and 4B;

FIG. 6A is a block diagram of an intelligent circuit breaker for two 15A/120 VAC circuits;

FIG. 6B is a block diagram of an intelligent circuit breaker for two 15A/120 VAC circuits which includes two dimmer circuits;

FIG. 6C is a voltage-time graph illustrating sine wave dimming of thetype performed by the dimmer circuits of FIG. 6B;

FIG. 6D is a waveform illustrating cut phase dimming;

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate a circuit breaker panel populated withstandard circuit breakers which are paired with intelligent circuitbreakers with dimmers;

FIG. 7C is a schematic diagram illustrating a gatekeeper transceiverwithin a circuit breaker panel, and a wireless mesh networkinterconnecting the gatekeeper transceiver with wireless transceiversassociated with intelligent circuit breakers;

FIG. 7D is a schematic diagram illustrating lighting control keypads maybe used as alternative or in addition to a premises power controller forcontrolling intelligent circuit breakers;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a gatekeeper transceiver which includespower monitoring capability;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the high level operation of theaggregation server shown in FIG. 1 when the aggregation is providingancillary services;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating communication between the premisespower controller and intelligent circuit breakers shown in FIGS. 2, 3,4A and 4B;

FIGS. 11A-11H are a flowchart illustrating the high level controlmethods performed by premises power controller for each of Class 1, 2,and 3 premises;

FIG. 12A is a flowchart for a premises power controller managing an HVACload:

FIG. 12B is a power cost-temperature graph illustrating exemplary pointsof reference and conditions which are addressed in the flowchart of FIG.12A;

FIG. 13A is a flowchart for a premises power controller managing adimmable (lighting) load;

FIG. 13B is a power cost-light intensity graph illustrating exemplarypoints of reference and conditions which are addressed in the flowchartof FIG. 13A;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart for a premises power controller managing a powerfactor controllable load;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart for a premises power controller managing anon-dimmable load;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart for a premises power controller managing adiversion load;

FIG. 17A is a flowchart for a premises power controller managing anelectric vehicle load;

FIG. 17B is a power cost-portion of time to trip required to chargeelectric vehicle battery graph;

FIG. 17C is a power cost-idle charge level graph;

FIG. 18A is a flowchart for a premises power controller calculating avirtual energy price;

FIG. 18B is a graph illustrating an exemplary supply cost transferfunction referenced in FIG. 18A; and

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating examples of user notifications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a portion of a power grid 100 which includes a regionalgrid controller 102 associated with an independent system operator (ISO)or regional transmission organization (RTO). Regional grid controller102 has a bidirectional communication link 104 with each of a utilityscale intermittent generation (wind turbine) plant 106, a traditionalbase load (nuclear) plant 108, a traditional peaking (gas turbine) plant110, and an aggregation server 112. Aggregation server 112 has abidirectional communication 114 with a wide area network (WAN) 116which, in turn, has bidirectional communication with each premises thatis part of an aggregation 118.

The premises which form aggregation 118 may be classified in one ofthree classes. Class 1 premises are those which do not include any solaror other renewable source of power (collectively, “renewable source”)nor any battery capable of storing a significant amount of power, butmay include a backup generator which may serve to power some or all ofthe premises when power grid 100 is unavailable. When power gird 100 isavailable, Class 1 premises normally only draw power (unidirectionally)from power grid 100.

Class 2 premises are those which include at least one renewable sourceand possibly a backup generator, but do not include a battery ofsignificant capacity. Class 2 premises draw power from power grid 100when the renewable source is offline or insufficient to meet the demandof the premises, but may deliver power to power grid 100 when there is asurplus. Thus, Class 2 premises are characterized by bidirectional powerflow.

Class 3 premises are those which include at least one renewable sourceas well as one or more batteries of significant capacity, and possibly abackup generator. Like Class 2 premises, Class 3 premises may draw powerfrom or deliver power to power grid 100 depending upon environmentalconditions, the demand of the premises and other factors. As describedin detail below, aggregation 118, which represents a mix of Class 1, 2and 3 premises, may be managed as single entity which performs as anenergy market participant based on a model of reduced consumption ofpower possibly in combination with production from battery storage.

FIG. 2 shows a Class 1 premises 200 which may represent, for example, asingle family home which does not include any renewable source orbattery of significant capacity, but may include a backup generator 228.For improved clarity and consistency, an element which was introducedearlier, such as WAN 116, shall retain the previously assigned referencenumber throughout this specification unless otherwise noted. A premisespower controller 202 communicates over wireless links 216 with energycontrol modules such as, HVAC status and control modules (thermostat)204, a circuit breaker panel 206 populated with intelligent circuitbreakers 222, a sub-panel 208 populated with intelligent circuitbreakers which include dimmers 226, an electric vehicle (EV) chargecontroller 210, and a smart appliance 212. Load conductors 220 connectindividual intelligent circuit breakers 222 with EV charge controller210, smart appliance 212, electric water heater 214, and othernon-lighting loads (not shown). Conductors 224 connect lighting (notshown), via panel 206, to individual intelligent circuit breakers withdimmers 226 located within sub-panel 208.

Wireless communication links 216 may be implemented with Bluetooth®,Wi-Fi, or any of a number of other commercially available wirelesstechnologies. Such wireless communication links greatly reduce the costof and time required for installation of premises power controller 202.Alternatively, if the design of or materials used in a particularpremises is not conducive to wireless communication, wired communicationlinks (e.g., Ethernet) may be used by the addition of appropriateinterfaces on premises power controller 202 as well as the other devicesshown in FIG. 2.

Backup generator 228 is coupled to a transfer switch 232 by a conductor230. Transfer switch 232 is coupled by a conductor 234 to circuitbreaker panel 206. Transfer switch 232 is also coupled to a utilitycompany meter (not shown) by a conductor 218. When power grid 100 isdown, transfer switch 232 moves to the position shown in FIG. 2, whichenables backup generator 228 to supply power to critical loads which aremanaged by premises power controller 202 as described below. Here again,non-critical loads may be advantageously disconnected under thedirection of premises power controller 202 while power grid 100 remainsdown.

In general, premises power controller 202 is responsible for managingpower consumption in premises 200. Among other features andcapabilities, premises power controller 202 is responsible fordynamically actuating individual intelligent circuit breakers 222, 226to disconnect individual loads, thereby reducing power consumption ofpremises 200 and contributing to an aggregation which is performing asan energy market participant. As described in detail below, more thanone premises power controller 202 may be present in a given premises forpurposes of redundancy, load sharing, or the like.

FIG. 3 shows a Class 2 premises 300 which may represent, for example, asingle family home which includes a solar panel array (renewable source)302 and inverter 304, and backup generator 228, but does not include abattery of significant capacity. Inverter 304 is coupled to circuitbreaker panel 206 by a conductor 306. In addition to converting DC toAC, inverter 304 may include an internal disconnect which functions toisolate renewable source 302 when power grid 100 (FIG. 1) is down andbackup generator 228 is active. Alternatively, a separate disconnect(not shown) may be provided between inverter 304 and circuit breakerpanel 206.

All other elements are substantially similar to those shown in FIG. 2with two notable exceptions. First, given the presence of renewablesource 302, premises 300 may under favorable environmental conditionsgenerate more power than it consumes, in which case excess power may bedelivered, via the utility company meter (not shown), to power grid 100.Second, the programming of premises power controller 202, as describedin detail below, must account for renewable source 302 and inverter 304.

FIG. 4 shows a Class 3 premises 400 in which a renewable source 302 ispresent along with a storage battery/charge controller 402, an EV carbattery/standalone battery 403, and a solar/battery inverter 404.Storage battery/charge controller 402 is coupled to and charges carbattery/standalone battery 403, which in turn is coupled to inverter404. Inverter 404 functions to convert DC output by renewable source 302or car battery/standalone battery 403 to AC which is supplied byconductor 406 to panel 206.

Transfer switch 232 operates to disconnect panel 206 from power grid 100(FIG. 1) when power grid 100 is down, which enables renewable source302, storage battery charge controller 402, and inverter 404 (or,alternatively, backup generator 228) to supply power to critical loadsconnected by conductors 408 to specific intelligent circuit breakers222. Conversely, to conserve power while power grid 100 is down,non-critical loads, such as EV charge controller 210, smart appliance212, and electric water heater 214, may be disconnected by actuatingtheir respective intelligent circuit breakers 222 in response to one ormore messages received from premises power controller 202.

Also shown is an AC-DC converter 410 whose output is coupled to a DC-ACinverter with power factor control 412, which in turn is coupled todimmable loads 414. AC-DC converter 410 and DC-AC inverter with powerfactor control 412 communicate with premises power controller 202through wireless communication links 216. As described in detail below,converter 410, in combination with inverter 412, may be used toadvantageously alter the power factor so as to reduce the amount of realpower absorbed by dimmable loads 414.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of premises power controller 202. A controllerboard 500, which may be based on a commodity embedded system, includes1GB of double data rate memory 502, 32GB of flash memory 504, aprocessor 505, and a 16GB microSDHC card 506. A reset button 508 iscoupled to a GPIO interface 509. Controller board 500 also includes aUSB/mini USB interface 510, an Ethernet interface 512, an I2C interface514, a 1-Wire interface 532, an SPI interface 516 which is coupled to aWi-Fi module 524, four UART interfaces 518 (one of which is coupled to aBluetooth® module 522), and an RGB interface 520 which is coupled to anLCD TFT touchscreen 526. A three-dimensional tracking and gesturecontroller 528 is coupled to touchscreen 526 and a projected capacitivetouch controller 530, which in turn is coupled to I2C interface 514.

As described above in connection with FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, premises powercontroller 202 may wirelessly communicate with intelligent circuitbreakers 222 and other devices within a given premises using Wi-Fimodule 524 or Bluetooth® module 522. Touchscreen 526 may be used todisplay on screen icons, buttons, controls, messages, statusinformation, menus or other desired user interface elements (not shown)to enable a user to configure and operate premises power controller 202.For example, touchscreen 526 may be used to: create, modify, or select apower management scenario; create, modify, or select a schedule; obtainstatus information regarding various system components; connect ordisconnect individual intelligent circuit breakers; override or disablethe current operation of premises power controller 202; and otherwiseconfigure, modify, and operate premises power controller 202.Alternatively, a user may wirelessly operate premises power controller202 using a smartphone, tablet, or other device which includesappropriate application and wireless network connectivity. In addition,premises power controller 202 may be integrated with and controlled by ahome automation system.

FIG. 6A is a block diagram of an intelligent circuit breaker 222 asshown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. As shown, intelligent circuit breaker 222supports two 15 A/120 VAC circuits. A processor with onboard Bluetooth®transceiver serves as a breaker controller 600. Breaker controller 600may be implemented with a Rigado BMD-200 module or similar commerciallyavailable component. Breaker controller 600 is coupled to a serial wiredebug (SWD) connector 626, a 4D debug connector 628, a GPIO expander610, an embedded graphics controller 604, and a power measurementdigital signal processor (DSP) 608. Power measurement DSP 608 is alsocoupled to voltage sense lines 638 and current sense lines 640.

An LCD 602 and a 16GB microSD card are coupled to embedded graphicscontroller 604. A pair of relays 630 is coupled, respectively, between apair of screw terminals 620 and a pair of Hall Effect sensors 618. Eachof a pair of screw terminals 620 serves as a connection point to aconventional 15 A/120 VAC circuit breaker (not shown), such as an arcfault breaker, which is manually capable of being actuated. In thealternative, the relays may be embodied as an actuated mechanical switchto obviate the need of the conventional circuit breaker while providingfor adequate safety. Each of a pair of screw terminals 622 serves as aconnection point to a desired load (not shown). An AC-to-DC power supply624 outputs +12 VDC and +3.3 VDC to power intelligent circuit breaker226. As an alternative to using power measurement DSP 608 to outputpulses when the sensed voltage and current are near zero, a zero crossdetection circuit 628 may be used to generate a square wave outputsignal which is coupled to breaker controller 600.

Breaker controller 600, using its onboard Bluetooth® connectivity,communicates with other breaker controllers to establish a wireless meshnetwork among all of the breaker controllers. The presence of a meshnetwork advantageously enables a single breaker controller within abreaker panel or, alternatively, a designated gatekeeper transceiver, toconduct communications with a premises power controller (FIG. 2), andpropagate such communications to all other breaker controllers.Alternatively, a wireless mesh network may be established using Zigbee,Z-wave or other suitable technologies.

LCD 602 may be used to display a variety of information (e.g., thecurrent state of the circuit breaker, a configuration of the circuitbreaker, instantaneous power consumption, identifier, such as a zone, ofthe circuit breaker, and diagnostic codes). MicroSD card 606 may be usedto store power consumption data and other data of interest until ascheduled time when such data is forward to a premises power controller202 or discarded as stale.

Power measurement DSP 608 is capable of calculating, among other values,instantaneous power consumption separately for each load connected toscrew terminals 622, as well as average power consumption over aspecified period of time, and peak power consumption. Power measurementDSP 608 may also be configured to output pulses (on dedicated pins ZXO,ZX1, which are coupled to breaker controller 600) when the current andvoltage are near zero.

By knowing when zero crossings of current and voltage are occurring,breaker controller 600 ensures that relays 630 are only switched (i.e.,intelligent circuit breaker 222 is opened or closed) contemporaneouslywith the occurrence of a zero crossing. This advantageously reducesarcing and tends to prolong the service lives of relays 630.

An intelligent circuit breaker suitable for a single 30 A/220 VACcircuit may be implemented using the components shown in FIG. 6A, exceptfor substituting a Rigado BMD-300 module for breaker controller 600.

FIG. 6B is a block diagram of an intelligent circuit breaker withdimmers 226 as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. Most of the components arethe same as those shown in FIG. 6A. However, instead of relays 630,intelligent circuit breaker with dimmers 226 includes an isolationcircuit 632 which is coupled between GPIO expander 610 and two pairs ofgallium nitride high electron mobility (GaN HEMT) transistors 636 which,with their respective controls 634, function as dimmers. Each pair oftransistors 636 is coupled to power measurement DSP 608 as well as oneof Hall Effect sensors 618. Conventional dimmers utilize silicon-basedfield effect transistors (FETs) or TRIACs, both of which have a higheron resistance (R_(on)) than GaN HEMT components. Thus, conventionaldimmers must dissipate more heat for a given amount of current, which isproblematic and potentially unsafe in a circuit breaker panel withtightly packed components. In order to effectively dissipate heat,conventional dimmers require large heat sinks that do not fit well or atall in conventional breaker panels. By using GaN HEMT components for thedimmers, significant reduction in heat dissipation is advantageouslyachieved without the need for bulky heat sinks, thereby enabling morecircuits to be safely packed in a given area.

A dimming function may be implemented using a traditional cut phasedimming technique, as illustrated in FIG. 6D. With a cut phase dimmingtechnique, breaker controller 600 must be capable of switching GaN HEMTtransistors 636 on and off at a frequency of 120Hz. Forward and reversecut-phase dimming may be implemented by switching the transistors nearthe appropriate leading or trailing edge of a line waveform.Alternatively, a pulse width modulation dimming technique, sometimesreferred to as sine wave dimming, may be used as illustrated in FIG. 6C.With a sine wave dimming technique, GaN HEMT transistors 636 must beswitched at much higher frequency (e.g., on the order of 100 kHZ orhigher) as compared to cut phase dimming and use a low-pass filter toremove the higher frequency (i.e., has a cutoff frequency less than thehigher frequency) from the output sinewave and allow a line frequency topass through with little attenuation. In order to ensure that breakercontroller 600 can signal transistors 636 with sufficient rapidity, itmay be necessary to bypass GPIO expander 610 and connect (the GPIO) ofbreaker controller 600 directly to isolation circuit 632. Anotheralternative would be a pulse wide modulation driver, such as a FairchildSemiconductor FL77944MX, that converts an analog or digital input signalinto a pulse width modulated output signal.

Turning now to FIGS. 7A and 7B, a circuit breaker panel 700 is populatedwith intelligent circuit breakers with dimmers 226 each of which isconnected to a pair of 20 A standard (i.e., conventional) circuitbreakers 702 by a pair of conductors 704, respectively, and loads 1 and2 (not shown). In the alternative, the intelligent circuit breakers maybe connected to the pair of conductors embodied as a bus bar of thecircuit breaker panel 700 obviating use of the conventional circuitbreakers 702. Each pair of standard circuit breakers 702 is mountedabove and adjacent to the intelligent circuit breaker with dimmer 226 towhich it is connected. Display 602 is mounted on the front face of eachintelligent circuit breaker with dimmer 226. Breaker controller 600within each intelligent circuit breaker with dimmer 226 may communicatedirectly over wireless link 216 with premises controller 202 or,alternatively, may communicate indirectly through a mesh network.

FIG. 7C shows a circuit breaker panel 706 which is populated withintelligent circuit breaker with dimmers 226. For improved clarity, thestandard circuit breakers which would normally populate the spacesbetween intelligent circuit breakers with 226 are omitted. A mainbreaker 718 is conventionally located near the top or bottom of circuitbreaker panel 706. Main breaker 718 functions to connect/disconnect allof standard circuit breakers (not shown) and intelligent circuitbreakers with dimmers 226 with main conductors 218 which pass through anaperture 708 located in the top edge of circuit breaker panel 706. Mainconductors 218 connect with a utility power meter (not shown). Awireless mesh network 714 is established among all of intelligentcircuit breakers with dimmers 226 and a gatekeeper transceiver 712 whichis coupled to an antenna 716.

Due to interference with wireless communication typically caused by(metal) circuit breaker panel 706, gatekeeper transceiver 712 may beassigned exclusive responsibility for communicating with premises powercontroller 202 (FIG. 2) over wireless communication link 216. Antenna716 protruding from circuit breaker panel helps overcome interference asdoes locating gatekeeper transceiver 712 in proximity to aperture 708.In addition, should a particular environment produce excessiveinterference, an alternative communication technology could be selectedfor gatekeeper transceiver 712 without affecting intelligent circuitbreakers with dimmers 226. For example, gatekeeper transceiver 712 couldbe provided with Bluetooth® connectivity to participate in mesh network714, but could also be provided with a radio frequency (RF) transceiver,an optical transceiver, an infrared (IR) transceiver, or an isolatedwire link for communicating with premises power controller 202.

Gatekeeper transceiver 712 may also include power monitoringfunctionality for measuring total power consumption (or surplus) at mainconductors 218. A current transformer 710 is coupled to each mainconductor 218, and to gatekeeper transceiver 712. As may be seen best inFIG. 8, gatekeeper transceiver 712 may include many of the samecomponents as intelligent circuit breaker 222 (FIG. 6A). In addition, aBluetooth® low energy module 800 provides functionality forparticipating in mesh network 714 as well as communicating with premisespower controller 202. Power measurement DSP 608 is coupled to currenttransformers 710 (current sense lines) as well as power supply 624(voltage sense lines), thus enabling calculation of total powerconsumption (or surplus) at main conductors 218.

FIG. 7D illustrates a premises in which lighting control key pads may beused as alternatives or in addition to a premises power controller 202to perform user-oriented functions through intelligent circuit breakers222 or intelligent circuit breakers with dimmers 226. Wireless lightingcontrol keypads 722, which are commercially available from a number ofvendors, may be located in various places within premises to controllamps 724 or other lighting (not shown). Lamps 724 are connected byconductors 728, respectively, to intelligent circuit breakers withdimmers 226.

In general, each wireless lighting control keypad 722 typically includesa processor, microcontroller or the like which is capable of runningsome or all of the same software run by premises power controller 202 asdescribed herein. In addition, each wireless lighting control keypad 722typically includes wireless network connectivity such as Wi-Fi orBluetooth®. With such network connectivity, keypads 722 may establishwireless communication links 730 with intelligent circuit breakers 222or intelligent circuit breakers with dimmers 226. Thus, any of wirelesslighting control keypads 722 may be used as an alternative to, or inconjunction with, premises power controller 202 to turn lamps 724 (orother lighting loads) on or off as well as dimming such lamps.

FIG. 9 illustrates the high level operations of aggregation server 112(FIG. 1). At step 900, aggregation server 112 receives a message fromregion grid controller ISO/RTO 102 to supply power. Next, at step 902,aggregation server 112 proceeds to determine how much load reduction andbattery storage are available within aggregation 118 by communicatingwith the premises power controller 202 associated with each premiseswithin the aggregation. Based on information collected during step 902,aggregation server 112 proceeds at step 904 to prioritize particularpremises and loads, based on the class of premises, load specifications,and geographic locations (e.g., a profile of the particular premises).

Next, at step 906, aggregation server 112 transmits a message to eachpremises power controller 202 within aggregation 118 to run its “markettrading” power management scenario. In general, when a given premisespower controller 202 run its “market trading” scenario, this will causeparticular loads in the premises to be “shed” or disconnected (byactuating the associated intelligent circuit breakers) and, for class 3premises that include batteries with significant storage capacity, mayalso result in the connection of such batteries to supply power to thepower grid. Next, at step 908, aggregation server 112 follows an ISOmarket rule to implement a demand response reduction curve.

FIG. 10 illustrates exemplary communications between premises powercontroller 202 (FIG. 5) and intelligent circuit breakers 222 (FIG. 6A)or intelligent circuit breakers with dimmers 226 (FIG. 6B). At step1000, each intelligent circuit breaker 222 and 226 is in a reset offstate, followed by initialization of each such intelligent circuitbreaker at step 1002. At step 1004, each initialized intelligent circuitbreaker 222 and 226 waits for a query from premises power controller202. When a query is received (over wireless link 216, for example), acomparison is made between an address contained in the query and anaddress associated with the intelligent circuit breaker 222, 226 thatreceived the query. If the addresses do not match, the intelligentcircuit breaker 222, 226 continues to wait at step 1004 for anotherquery. If the addresses match, at step 1008 a determination is made asto whether the query includes a control command. If so, the intelligentcircuit breaker 222, 226 sets its relays 630 (FIG. 6A) or dimmers 634,636 (FIG. 6B) to match the received control command, and sends anacknowledgement to premises power controller 202 at step 1012. Duringoperation, the intelligent circuit breaker transmits the instantaneouspower consumption of the load to the premises power controller atpredetermined intervals.

Alternatively, at step 1008, if the determination indicates that nocontrol command was received, then intelligent circuit breaker 222, 226checks its power reading status at step 1014. If that status has changedcompared to a last known status, as determined at step 1016, thenintelligent circuit breaker 222, 226 sends its power reading to premisespower controller 1018, and subsequently waits for an acknowledgementfrom the premises power controller at step 1020. If, at step 1016, nochange in power reading status was found, then at step 1022 intelligentcircuit breaker 222, 226 sends an indication of no change to premisespower controller 1022, and subsequently waits for an acknowledgementfrom the premises power controller at step 1024.

FIGS. 11A-11H illustrate the high level control methods performed bypremises power controller 202 for each of Class 1, 2, and 3 premises.The methods start at step 1100, followed by step 1101 at which apremises power controller 202 begins searching (e.g., using a wirelessdiscovery service) for another controller 202 within the premises. Thisis followed by a delay at step 1103. Next, at step 1105, a determinationis made whether a broadcasting premises power controller was discovered.If not, control flow advances to step 1107 where the only premises powercontroller 202 present begins broadcasting. This is followed by a firstdecision step 1102 which determines whether the premises (system) inwhich premises power controller 202 is located is a Class 1 premises. Ifso, control flow advances to step 1104 and on to FIG. 11B. If not, adecision step 1106 determines whether the premises is a Class 2 premisesand, if so, control flow advances to step 1108 (FIG. 11C). If not, adecision step 1110 determines whether the premises is a Class 3 premisesand, if so, control flow advances to step 1112 (FIG. 11D).

If, at step 1110, a determination is made that the premises is not aClass 3 premises, control flow advances to step 1109 at which a query ofpremises power controller 202 is made for a current virtual energyprice. The term “virtual energy price” is used in this specification torefer to a value that serves as a proxy for the relative scarcity orabundance of energy. Each action relating to a load or source within agiven premises is associated with either a threshold or scaling factoragainst the virtual energy price. In its simplest formulation, a systembased on a virtual energy price may implement a priority list of loadsor sources capable of both discrete and smooth transitions (i.e.,capable of smoothly transitioning and discretely transitioning powerconsumption or generation) as well as selection of the loads based ontemporal use (e.g., a recency of use). In a more sophisticatedimplementation, such a system could model the full dynamism of an energymarket.

By choosing a quantity with the same units and order of magnitude as istypical on the public energy market, it is possible for a user tospecify his or her priorities once, and in terms of real dollars. Incases where the premises pays market rates for energy, the power grid isavailable, and market rates are provided by aggregation server 112, thiswill be especially meaningful to the user. In other cases, the virtualenergy price will be computed to perform the actions necessary for theeffective management of system resources and will not have anyrelationship to energy costs on the public market.

As an alternative to calculating a virtual energy price, a state machinecould be implemented which accesses a lookup table or other datastructure to obtain a value which is a suitable reference or proxy forthe purposes described herein.

Next, at step 1111, a determination is made whether the virtual energyprice is above a notification threshold. If not, control flow loops tostep 1102. If so, meaning that a user notification should be sent,control flow advances to step 1113 (FIG. 18).

Referring again to step 1105, if a (second) broadcasting premises powercontroller 202 was discovered, control flow advances to step 1115 inwhich wireless communication is established between the discovered(master) premises power controller 202 and the (subordinate) premisespower controller 202 performing this step. Next, at step 1117, thesubordinate premises power controller 202 takes measurements from anysensors attached to it. This is followed, at step 1119, by thesubordinate premises power controller 202 collecting user input. Next,at step 1121, the subordinate premises power controller 202 attempts totransmit its sensor measurements and user actions to master premisespower controller 202.

At step 1123, a determination is made whether the attempted transmissionto the master premises power controller failed. If so, control flowloops to step 1101. If not (meaning transmission was successful),control flow advances to step 1125 at which subordinate premises powercontroller 202 attempts to read system state and pending commands frommaster premises power controller 202. Next, at step 1127, adetermination is made whether the attempted read failed. If so, controlflow loops to step 1101. If not (meaning the read was successful),control flow advances to step 1129 at which subordinate premises powercontroller 202 updates its user interface according to the previouslyread system state, and executes new commands. If either the transmissionfailed at step 1121, or reception failed at step 1125, it is assumedthat master premises power controller 202 has been removed, powereddown, or failed, and an election for a new controller is performed atstep 1101. In this fashion, multiple, redundant premises powercontrollers 202 may be operated within a given premises.

Referring now to FIG. 11C (Class 1 premises), premises power controller202 determines at step 1114 whether public power grid 100 (FIG. 1) isavailable. If not, a determination is made at step 1126 whether a(backup) generator 228 (FIG. 2) is available. If no generator isavailable, control flow returns to FIG. 11A. If a backup generator 228is available, then premises power controller 202 determines at step 1128whether the backup generator is on. If not, premises power controller202 turns the generator on at step 1130, after which control flowreturns to FIG. 11A. If, at step 1128, premises power controller 202determines that the generator is on, then control flow advances to step1132 (FIG. 17A) to establish a virtual energy price, then to step 1124(FIG. 11H).

If, at step 1114, premises power controller 202 determines that publicpower grid 100 is available, control flow advances to a determination atstep 1116 whether energy price data is available. Energy price data maybe supplied to premises power controller 202 by aggregation server 112or other external source via WAN 116. If energy price data is available,control flow advances to step 1124 (FIG. 11H). If energy price data isnot available, control flow advances to step 1118 for a determinationwhether premises power controller 202 has received an explicit command(message) from aggregation server 112 that aggregation 118 is acting orpreparing to act as a participant in the energy markets. Such a commandmeans that premises power control 202 must prepare to reduce loads onthe premises in order for aggregation 118 to meet the regulatoryrequirements of an energy market participant. Assuming that such acommand was received, control flow advances to step 1120 at whichpremises power controller 202 simulates premises power consumption tofind a virtual energy price which will satisfy the requirements ofaggregation 118 performing as a market participant.

If, at determination step 1118, no explicit command was received fromaggregation server 112 (meaning aggregation 118 is not currentlyrequired to perform as a market participant), then control flow advancesto step 1122 at which a virtual energy price is set to a default value,and then to step 1124 (FIG. 11H).

Turning now to FIG. 11C (Class 2 premises which includes at least onerenewable source and a backup generator, but does not include a batteryof significant capacity), premises power controller 202 determines atstep 1133 whether public power grid 100 (FIG. 1) is available. If not,control flow advances to step 1134 at which a determination is madewhether an islanding inverter/production is available. If not, controlflow returns to FIG. 11A. If so, at step 1132, control flow advances tocalculate a virtual energy price (FIG. 17A). Next, at step 1138,premises power controller 202 compares the calculated virtual energyprice with a predetermined backup generator on threshold value. If thecalculated virtual energy price is greater than the backup generator onthreshold value (meaning that it is economical to run the backupgenerator), flow control determines at step 1140 whether a generatorminimum off time has elapsed. If so, premises power controller 202 turnsthe (non-renewable source) backup generator on at step 1142, followed bycontrol flow advancing to step 1124 (FIG. 11H).

If, at step 1138, the calculated virtual energy price was less than orequal to the backup generator on threshold value, or at step 1140 thebackup generator's minimum off time has not yet elapsed, then controlflow advances to step 1144 where premises power controller 202determines whether the calculated virtual energy price is less than thegenerator off threshold value. It should be noted that the backupgenerator on and off threshold values are different to add hysteresisand avoid a condition where the backup generator is cycling on and off.If the calculated virtual energy price is less than the generator offthreshold value, premises power controller 202 next determines at step1146 whether a generator minimum on time has elapsed and, if so,proceeds at step 1148 to turn the generator off. If, at step 1144, thecalculated virtual energy price is not less than the generator offthreshold value (i.e., they are equal within the hysteresis band) or, atstep 1146, the generator minimum on time has not yet elapsed, thecontrol flow advances to step 1124.

Referring again to step 1133, if public power grid 100 is available,then control flow advances to step 1150 where a determination is madewhether the utility company which serves the premises pays for netproduction of power. If not, then control flow advances to step 1152where premises power controller 202 makes a forecast of the currentday's on-premises power production, followed by step 1154 at which thevirtual energy price is set to the rate charged by the utility company.

Next, at step 1156, premises power controller 202 simulates premisespower consumption using the virtual energy price and forecast. If, basedon the simulation, no net production of power is expected for the next24 hours (i.e., all on-premises power production will be consumed),control flow advances to step 1124 (FIG. 11H). Alternatively, if at step1158, net power production is expected for the next 24 hours, thevirtual energy price is decreased at step 1160 (i.e., the virtual energyprice is decreased because a power surplus is expected for thepremises). A determination is made at step 1162 whether the (decreased)virtual energy price is at the minimum. If not, control flow loopsthrough steps 1156, 1158, 1160, and 1162, iteratively reducing thevirtual energy price until it reaches the minimum, thus enabling controlflow to advance to step 1124.

Referring again to step 1150, if the utility company which serves thepremises pays for net power production, control flow advances to step1164 at which a determination is made whether energy price data isavailable. If so, control flow advances to step 1124. If not, adetermination is made step 1166 whether an explicit command (message)was received from aggregation server 112. If not, meaning aggregation118 is not currently required to perform as a market participant, thencontrol flow advances to step 1170 at which a virtual energy price isset to the default value, and then to step 1124. If, at step 1166, acommand was received from aggregation server 112 (meaning aggregation118 is required to perform as a market participant and premises powercontroller 202 needs to reduce loads), then at step 1168 premises powercontroller 202 simulates premises power consumption to find a virtualprice that satisfies the requirements of aggregation 118 performing as amarket participant.

Referring now to FIGS. 11F and 11G (Class 3 premises which includes atleast one renewable source as well as one or more batteries ofsignificant capacity, and a backup generator), premises power controller202 determines at step 1172 whether public power grid 100 (FIG. 1) isavailable. If not, control flow advances to step 1174 where premisespower controller 202 simulates premises power consumption using avirtual energy price. In parallel with the step 1174 branch, step 1191is performed in which battery charge/discharge follows load/supply whilebattery capacity is greater than a minimum charge state. At step 1176, adetermination is made whether battery exhaustion is expected within thenext 24 hours. If it is unclear whether battery exhaustion will occur inthe next 24 hours, control flow advances to step 1124 (FIG. 11H).

If battery exhaustion will occur within the next 24 hours, control flowadvances to step 1178 at which the virtual energy price is increased(i.e., the virtual energy price is increased because a power scarcity isforecast for the premises). Next, at step 1180, a determination is madewhether the (increased) virtual energy price is greater than a generatoron threshold value. If not, control flow advances to step 1124. If so,control flow advances to step 1182 and the (non-renewable source)generator is turned on, provided it was off and a minimum off time haselapsed, followed by an advance to step 1124.

Referring again to step 1176, if battery exhaustion is not expectedwithin the next 24 hours, then control flow advances to step 1184 atwhich a determination is made whether battery overrun is predictedwithin the next 24 hours. If not, control flow advances to step 1124. Ifso, control flow advances to step 1186 and the virtual energy price isdecreased, again representing an expected power surplus for thepremises. Next, at step 1188, a determination is made whether thevirtual energy price is less than a generator off threshold value. Ifnot, control flow advances to step 1124. If so, at step 1190, premisespower controller 202 turns off the generator, assuming it was on and aminimum run time had elapsed.

Referring again to step 1172, if the public power grid 100 is available,control flow advances to step 1192 where premises power controller 202performs a look ahead on an expected time-cost curve. Next, at step1194, a determination is made whether the next peak on the expectedtime-cost curve is positive or negative. If a negative peak is expected,control flow advances to step 1196 at which a determination made whetherif charging begins now will minimum cost be incurred during the chargecycle. If not, control flow advances to step 1124. If so, control flowadvances to step 1198 where premises power controller 202 enables thebattery to start charging, followed by an advance to step 1124.

If, at step 1194, a positive peak is expected, control flow advances tostep 1200 at which a determination is made whether if battery dischargebegins now, is the product of the sale revenue minus buy costs and thebattery efficiency greater than the minimum cycle gain (i.e., willdischarging yield a minimum gain to justify wear on equipment). If so,control flow advances to step 1205where a determination is made whetherif battery discharge begins now is a sell-buy efficiency greater thanminimum cycle gain. If so, control flow advances to step 1204 andbattery discharge begins. If not, control flow advances to step 1202where a determination is made whether an explicit command (message) wasreceived from aggregation server 112 to perform as a market participant.If so, control flow advances to step 1204 to begin battery discharge. Ifnot, control flow advances to step 1124.

FIG. 11H connects logically with each of FIGS. 11C, 11E, and 11G, atstep 1124, which is followed by a determination, at step 1206, whetherany load(s) under the control of premises power controller 202 remainsto be processed. If not, control flow returns to the point at which themethod of FIG. 11H was called. If so, control flow advances to step 1208which is a determination of whether the load under consideration is anHVAC system. If so, control flow advances to step 1220 (FIG. 12A). Ifnot, a determination is made at step 1210 whether the load is dimmableand, if it is, control flow advances to step 1222 (FIG. 13A).

If the load is not dimmable, then at step 1211 a determination is madewhether the load is of type for which a power factor (PF) may becontrolled to reduce the amount of real power absorbed by the load. Ifso, control flow advances to step 1213 (FIG. 14). If not, control flowadvances to step 1212 where a determination is made whether the load isnon-dimmable and, if it is, control flow advances to step 1224 (FIG.15). If not, then at step 1214 a determination is made whether the loadis a diversion load and, if it is, control flow advances to step 1226(FIG. 16). If not, then at step 1216 a determination is made whether theload is an electric vehicle and, if it is, control flow advances to step1228 (FIG. 17A). At step 1218, the load is determined to be anon-managed load, but whose power consumption may still be measured(e.g., by an intelligent circuit breaker to which the load isconnected).

FIG. 12A illustrates a method for a premises power controller to managean HVAC load. At step 1230, premises power controller 202 measures azone temperature within the premises. Such a measurement may be made,for example, using a temperature sensor interfaced with premises powercontroller 202 as discussed above. Next, at step 1232, if it is notalready available, a query for a global virtual energy price is made,which may have been calculated through the preceding logic. Using themeasured temperature and calculated global virtual energy price, a pointis located on the graph of FIG. 12B and, at step 1236, a determinationmade whether the point is above the cost-temperature curve D of thatgraph (e.g., the point indicated by reference letter G in FIG. 12B). Ifso, control flow advances to step 1238 which indicates that energy useis not justified and no action is taken, followed by a return to FIG.11H (i.e., the HVAC load is not activated).

If, on the other hand, at step 1236 the point is determined to be belowthe cost-temperature curve D (e.g., either of the points indicated byreference letters E or H in FIG. 12B), the control flow advances to step1240 at which a determination is made whether the HVAC minimum run time(MRT) will cause the zone temperature to cross a user-defined set point(indicated by reference letter A in FIG. 12B). If so, meaning theminimum run time of the HVAC system will cause the temperature toincrease or decrease excessively, control flow returns to FIG. 11H.

If the minimum run time of the HVAC system will not cause the zonetemperature to cross the user-defined set point, then at step 1242 adetermination is made whether a minimum off time for the HVAC system haselapsed. If not, meaning it is too soon to run the HVAC system again,control flow again returns to FIG. 11H. If so, control flow advances tostep 1244 at which premises power controller 202 calculates a trajectorywhich will move the point of interest above curve D while following anysystem constraints. An acceptable trajectory will cause the point ofinterest to remain above curve D for at least the duration of theminimum off time for the HVAC system. This is followed by step 1246 atwhich HVAC system operation is scheduled for the duration of thetrajectory calculated in step 1244.

FIG. 13A illustrates a method for premises power controller 202 tomanage (e.g., set a power level of) a dimmable (lighting) load.Following step 1222 (from FIG. 11H), control flow advances to step 1300at which a query is made for a global virtual energy price, as discussedabove. Next, at step 1302, premises power controller 202 finds thenearest point(s) on a cost-light intensity curve (indicated by referenceletter C in FIG. 13B). This is followed by a determination at step 1304whether more than one nearest point was returned in step 1302. If not,control flow advances to step 1308 at which the single nearest (scalar)point is subsequently, in step 1310, multiplied with a user-setintensity value yielding a final lighting intensity. Alternatively, atstep 1304, if more than one nearest point was returned, then controlflow advances to step 1306 at which cubic interpolation is used toresolve a single, interpolated nearest point which is then used in themultiplication of step 1310. Control flow returns to FIG. 11H followingstep 1310.

FIG. 14 illustrates a method for a premises power controller 202 tomanage a load whose power factor (PF) may be controlled so as to reducethe amount of real power consumed by the load. Following step 1213,control flow advances to step 1215 at which premises power controller202 initializes a power factor controller which, for example, may berepresented by the combination of AC-DC converter 410 and DC-AC inverterwith power factor control 412 (FIG. 4). Next, at step 1217, premisespower controller 202 checks a power reading status and current PF forthe load. This is followed, at step 1219, by a lookup to determine aminimum PF that the load can handle. At step 1221, a (reduced PF) is setin accordance with the minimum PF, thereby reducing the amount of realpower consumed by the load. Control flow returns to FIG. 11H followingstep 1221.

FIG. 15 illustrates a method for a premises power controller 202 tomanage a non-dimmable load. Following step 1224, control flow advancesto step 1400 at which a query for a global virtual energy price isrendered, as discussed above. At step 1402, a determination is madewhether the global virtual energy price is above a user-set threshold.If so, control flow advances to step 1404 at which a determination ismade whether the minimum on time for the non-dimmable load of interesthas elapsed. If so, the non-dimmable load is disconnected (i.e.,premises power controller 202 actuates an intelligent circuit breakerconnected to that load) and a (minimum off time) timer set at step 1406,followed by a return to FIG. 11E. Alternatively, at step 1404, if theminimum on time for the non-dimmable load of interest has not yetelapsed, control flow returns to FIG. 11H.

If, at step 1402, the global virtual energy price is not above theuser-set threshold, the control flow advances to step 1408 at which adetermination is made whether the global virtual energy price is belowthe user-set threshold. If not, control flow returns to FIG. 11H. If so,control flow advances to step 1410 at which a determination is madewhether the non-dimmable load's minimum off time has elapsed. If not,then control flow returns to FIG. 11H. If so, the non-dimmable load isconnected and a (minimum on time) timer is set at step 1412, followed bya return to FIG. 11H.

FIG. 16 illustrates a method for premises power controller 202 to managea diversion load. Following step 1226, control flow advances to step1500 at which a query for a global virtual energy price is made, asdiscussed above. Next, at step 1501, a determination is made whether theload is currently connected to the system. If not, control flow advancesto step 1503 at which a determination is made whether the virtual energyprice is below a user notification threshold. If not, control flowreturns to FIG. 11E. If so, control flow advances to step 1113 (FIG.19).

With reference again to step 1501, if the load is determined to becurrently connected, control flow advances to step 1502 at which adetermination is made whether the virtual energy price is above auser-set threshold. If so, a determination is made at step 1504 whetherthe diversion load's minimum on time has elapsed. If the minimum on timehas not elapsed, control flow returns to FIG. 11H. If the minimum ontime has elapsed, the diversion load is disconnected and a (minimum offtime) timer is set at step 1506, which is followed by a return to FIG.11H.

If, at step 1502, the virtual energy price is not above the user-setthreshold, control flow advances to step 1508 at which a determinationis made whether the virtual energy price is below the user-setthreshold. If not, control flow returns to FIG. 11H. If the virtualenergy price is below the user-set threshold, control flow advances tostep 1510 where a determination is made whether the diversion load'sminimum off time has elapsed. If not, control flow returns to FIG. 11H.If so, premises power controller 202 connects the diversion load andsets a (minimum on time) timer at step 1512 before returning to FIG.11H.

FIG. 17A illustrates a method for a premises power controller to managecharging of an electric vehicle load. Following step 1228, adetermination is made at step 1599 whether the load is correctlyconnected to the system (i.e., is the electric vehicle correctlyconnected to its charge controller). If not, control flow advances tostep 1601 where a determination is made whether a virtual energy priceis below a notification threshold. If not, control flow returns to FIG.11H. If so, control flow advances to step 1113 (FIG. 19).

If, at step 1599, it is determined that the load is correctly connectedto the system, then control flow advances to step 1600 for adetermination whether a user has requested a charge cycle. If so,control flow advances to step 1610 where the electric vehicle beginscharging, followed by a return to FIG. 11H. If not, control flowadvances to step 1602 where a determination is made whether a trip isscheduled within the next 24 hours. If no trip is scheduled, controlflow advances to step 1606 at which a determination is made whether theglobal virtual energy price is lower than an idle charge level-costcurve denoted by reference letter C in FIG. 17C. If the global virtualenergy price is lower than the idle level-cost curve, control flow againadvances to step 1610 to begin charging. If not, control flow advancesto step 1608 at which a determination is made whether the electricvehicle battery charge cycle will cover a minimum energy price period assupplied by the public power grid (PPG). If so, control flow againadvances to step 1610 to begin charging. If not, control flow returns toFIG. 11H. If, at step 1602, it is determined that a trip is scheduledwithin the next 24 hours, control flow advances to step 1604 at which adetermination is made whether the global virtual energy price is lowerthan a charge desperation-cost curve, denoted by reference letter C inFIG. 17B, for the time to trip. If so, control flow again advances tostep 1610 to begin charging. If not, control flow advances to step 1606as described above.

FIG. 18A illustrates a method for calculating a global virtual energyprice for a given premises. At step 1700, a measurement is made of totalinstantaneous power generation capacity of the premises. That is, ameasurement is made of total energy generated by the premises, includingrenewable sources and non-renewable generators, and available for use.Next, at step 1702, a measurement is made of the total instantaneousenergy demands within the premises by managed and unmanaged loads.Control flow then advances to step 1704 where a computation is made ofthe fraction of total instantaneous power generation capacity currentlydemanded by the premises. Next, at step 1706, a global virtual energyprice is set using a supply cost transfer function denoted by referenceletter C in FIG. 18B. That is, the computed fraction of totalinstantaneous power generation capacity is located along the horizontalaxis of FIG. 18B, which in turn is used to locate a corresponding point(on transfer function C) whose ordinate is the global virtual energyprice.

FIG. 19 illustrates a method of issuing user notifications regarding agiven premises. Following step 1113, control flow advances to step 1800at which premises power controller 202 accesses a current notificationcontext from a caller. Next, at step 1802, a determination is madewhether this or a similar notification was previously sent to the userwithin a throttling window. If so, control flow returns to the previouspoint at which this method was invoked. If not, control flow advances tostep 1804 at which a determination is made whether a user mobile deviceis accessible from a premises mesh network. If so, control flow advancesto step 1812 at which a notification is sent to the user's mobile phoneover the premises mesh network, followed by a return.

If, at step 1804, the user's mobile phone is not accessible, thencontrol flow advances to step 1806 in which a determination is madewhether a user requested mobile push notifications. If so, control flowadvances to step 1814 at which a request for a push notification eventis sent to aggregation server 112. If not, control flow advances to step1808 at which a determination is made the user has provided an emailaddress at which to receive notifications. If so, control flow advancesto step 1816 at which a request for an email notification event is sentto aggregation server 112, followed by step 1810 at which a message isdisplayed on display 526 (FIG. 5) of premises power controller 202,followed by a return.

The foregoing description has been directed to specific embodiments ofthis invention. It will be apparent, however, that other variations andmodifications may be made to the described embodiments, with theattainment of some or all of their advantages. For example, it isexpressly contemplated that the teachings of this invention can beimplemented as software, including a computer-readable medium havingprogram instructions executing on a computer, hardware, firmware, or acombination thereof. Accordingly this description is to be taken only byway of example and not to otherwise limit the scope of the invention. Itis thus the object of the appended claims to cover all such variationsand modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a switch coupled to aprocessor, a load terminal and a power connector, the power connectoradapted to fit a conductor compatible with an electrical circuit breakerpanel, the power connector having an input sinusoidal voltage with afirst amplitude and a line frequency; a low-pass filter coupled to theswitch and the load terminal; and a sensor coupled to the load terminaland the processor, the processor configured to: sample the inputsinusoid voltage on the power connector using the sensor; and dim powerto the load terminal by driving the switch at a predetermined switchingfrequency to generate an output sinusoidal voltage on the load terminalhaving a second amplitude less than the first amplitude, wherein thelow-pass filter has a cutoff frequency less than the predeterminedswitching frequency and wherein the low-pass filter allows the linefrequency to pass through to the load terminal.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the switch is driven using pulse width modulation. 3.The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a pulse width modulationdriver coupled to the processor and the switch, wherein the pulse widthmodulation driver converts an analog input signal from the processorinto a pulse width modulated signal to drive the switch.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein input sinusoidal voltage is at least 120VAC.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: an isolationcircuit coupled between a driver circuit and the processor to isolatethe input sinusoidal voltage from the processor, the driver circuitcoupled to the switch and configured to convert a digital signal fromthe processor to a signal capable of driving the switch at thepredetermined switching frequency.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe switch is a gallium nitride high electron mobility transistor. 7.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined switching frequencyis at least 100 kHz.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the switchfurther comprises a pair of transistors coupled in series and capable ofconducting at least 15 A of current to the load terminal.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 1 further comprising a wireless network modulecoupled to the processor, wherein the processor configured to dim powerto the load terminal is further configured to dim power to the loadterminal in response to receiving a command via the network module. 10.An apparatus comprising: a pair of transistors connected in series andcoupled to a processor, a load terminal and a power connector, the powerconnector adapted to fit a conductor compatible with an electricalcircuit breaker panel, the power connector having an input sinusoidalvoltage; and a sensor coupled to the load terminal and the processor,the processor configured to: sample the input sinusoidal voltage on thepower connector using the sensor to determine an edge of the inputsinusoidal voltage; and dim power to the load terminal by modulating thetransistors to perform cut-phase dimming.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10wherein the cut-phase dimming is reverse cut-phase dimming.
 12. A methodcomprising: sampling an input sinusoidal voltage on a power connectorcoupled to a processor and a switch, the switch coupled to a loadterminal, the power connector adapted to fit a conductor compatible withan electrical circuit breaker panel, the input sinusoidal voltage havinga first amplitude and a line frequency; and modulating the switch at apredetermined switching frequency to generate an output sinusoidalvoltage on the load terminal having a second amplitude less than thefirst amplitude, wherein a low-pass filter coupled to the load terminaland the switch has a cutoff frequency less than the predeterminedswitching frequency and wherein the low-pass filter allows the linefrequency to pass through to the load terminal.
 13. The method of claim12 wherein the processor modulates the switch using pulse widthmodulation.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein modulating the switchfurther comprises switching a pair of gallium nitride high electronmobility (GaN HEMT) transistors coupled in series, the transistorscapable of conducting at least 15 A of current to the load terminal. 15.The method of claim 12 wherein modulating the switch further comprises:converting an analog signal from the processor to a pulse widthmodulation signal to drive the switch.
 16. The method of claim 12further comprising: in response to receiving one or more commands via awireless network coupled to the processor, dimming power to a pluralityof branch circuits coupled to the electrical circuit breaker panel,wherein the load terminal is coupled to at least one of the branchcircuits, the processor controlling the dimming to each branch circuitindependently.
 17. The method of claim 12 wherein modulating the switchfurther comprises converting an analog signal from the processor to apulse width modulation signal.
 18. The method of claim 12 wherein inputsinusoidal voltage is at least 120 VAC.
 19. The method of claim 12wherein the predetermined switching frequency is at least 100 kHz andthe processor is electrically isolated from modulating the switch. 20.The method of claim 12 further comprising: sampling a current deliveredto the load terminal; sampling the output sinusoidal voltage;calculating a dimmed power consumption to a branch circuit coupled tothe load terminal using the sampled current and the sampled outputvoltage; and displaying the dimmed power consumption at the breakerpanel.